A poem by Daniel Speziale written in traditional Persian verse form.
Hutan menangis tanpa bersuara;
kita dicuri langit dan udara.
Manusia lawan, gaduh, salahkan:
kiamat datang pun tak nak bersaudara.
Lihat langit terbuka itu kebebasan
tapi jerebu jadikan kita tahanan,
pandangan bermimpi insan terkurung,
dipisahkan dari matahari dan perbintangan.
Dibakar monyet, dicekik burung,
dihalau pribumi, dibersihkan gunung.
Kita semua bayar dengan pernafasan,
agar beberapa ketua syarikat beruntung.
Amat tua hutan Kalimantan.
Tapi umur tua jarang dihormatkan.
Si tamak takkan kenyang, laut akan naik;
di bawah airnya akan insan berperpaduan.
© Daniel Speziale. Not to be reproduced or modified without the permission of the author.
Daniele Speziale studied at Penanti Secondary School in Bukit Mertajam as a 17-year-old exchange student and later as a political science research intern at USM – and he has been passionate about Malaysia ever since. Now a political science graduate from Leiden University in the Netherlands, he lives in Italy
Our voluntary writers work hard to keep these articles free for all to read. But we do need funds to support our struggle for Justice, Freedom and Solidarity. To maintain our editorial independence, we do not carry any advertisements; nor do we accept funding from dubious sources. If everyone reading this was to make a donation, our fundraising target for the year would be achieved within a week. So please consider making a donation to Persatuan Aliran Kesedaran Negara, CIMB Bank account number 8004240948.